Bruins Dream Team: The All-Americans

In honor of yesterday’s celebration of the United
States’ 236th birthday, here’s the first
edition of Bruins Dream Team in quite some time. Today, we’re
saluting the greatest American-born players to ever suit up for the
Black and Gold.

Note: The length of a player’s tenure with the Bruins
and their impact during that time weighed heavily in these
selections.

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach – Robbie Ftorek (Needham,
Mass.)

Ftorek compiled a record of 76-52-14 during his two-year tenure
behind the B’s bench. Such totals aren’t going to blow
anyone out of the water, but with Mike Milbury having made this
squad as a defenseman – which keeps him from being a coach,
per Black and Gold Blog rules – there were slim pickings
among American bench bosses in club history.

A superstar at Needham High and a prolific scorer during his
days in the WHA, Ftorek won a Northeast Division title in 2001-02,
but was canned 73 games into the following season despite not even
throwing a bench onto the ice.

Asst. Coach – Mike Sullivan (Marshfield,
Mass.)

Sullivan’s brief time as a player with the Bruins
wasn’t good enough to get him on the team, but he certainly
deserves to be part of the coaching staff. As a rookie head coach,
he guided the B’s to a 41-19-15-7 record in 2003-04, good for
the second best record in the Eastern Conference.

But after the lockout, GM Mike O’Connell tore his roster
to shreds, trading away star captain Joe Thornton and a sea of
other talented players. Sullivan had no shot of making the playoffs
and was eventually fired in favor of – gasp! – Dave
Lewis by new general manager Peter Chiarelli.

Asst. Coach – Peter Laviolette (Franklin,
Mass.)

Many of us forget that Laviolette was the coaching version of
Tuukka Rask once upon a time, waiting in the wings to take over
behind the bench in Boston. After guiding the P-Bruins to a Calder
Cup championship in 1999, Laviolette became an assistant coach for
the B’s in 2000-01 under Pat Burns and later Mike Keenan.

But rather than hire Laviolette to become head coach the
following summer, Boston went with Ftorek. Laviolette took off to
take over head-coaching duties for the Islanders, eventually won a
Cup in Carolina and has had a wealth of success in
Philadelphia.

FIRST LINE

Left Wing – Bobby Carpenter (Beverly,
Mass.)

The ‘Can’t Miss Kid’ came to Boston in a 1989
deal that saw Steve Kasper shipped to Los Angeles. Carpenter was a
big contributor down the stretch with 14 points in 18 games. He
buried 25 goals twice in the next three seasons – one of
which came in just 60 games. In total, he had 134 points in 187
games with the B’s.

Center – Craig Janney (Hartford,
Conn.)

A remarkable setup man during his prime, Janney enjoyed great
success with the Bruins after coming out of Boston College. In
addition to a 92-point season in 1990-91, Janney was also
sensational whenever it was playoff time, as he played a huge role
in the B’s two runs to the finals in ’88 and ’90.
In 69 playoff games with Boston, the slick center had 73
points.

Right Wing – Bill Guerin (Wilbraham,
Mass.)

Guerin may have only been around for two seasons in Boston, but
they sure were something special. After coming via trade from
Edmonton (for Anson Carter), the power forward had 63 points in 64
games for the Black and Gold in 2000-01 and followed it up with a
career-high 41 goal campaign the next year. Boston may not have had
great success as a team, but the ‘GAS’ line of Guerin,
Jason Allison and Sergei Samsonov was simply dynamite.

SECOND LINE

Left Wing – Ted Donato (Dedham,
Mass.)

A Harvard product (and future head coach of the Crimson), Donato
ranks first in games played by an American forward for the
B’s. The 5-foot-10 winger had three seasons of 22 goals or
more during his first stint with the club (1991-98) and was a
solid, veteran presence when he returned for one year in 2003-04.
In 528 games for the Bruins, Donato notched 266 points.

Center – Brian Rolston (Flint, Mich.)

Acquired in the deal that sent Ray Bourque to Colorado, Rolston
was a key cog for the B’s in the early 2000s. In 2001-02, he
scored a then-career-high 31 goals and led the league with nine
shorthanded tallies. The speedy pivot returned to Boston on
deadline day this February, notching 15 points in 21 contests. For
his career, Rolston has 251 points in 359 games in a Bruins’
uniform.

Right Wing – Phil Kessel (Madison,
Wis.)

Though his time in Boston was short (three years), and
he’ll always be remembered for the trade that brought the
B’s Tyler Seguin, Jared Knight and Dougie Hamilton, Kessel
undoubtedly showed flashes of brilliance for the Black and Gold.
The fifth overall pick in 2006, Kessel won the Masterton Trophy
after beating cancer, broke out after a benching during the 2008
playoffs and followed that up with a 36-goal season in 2008-09. In
15 career playoff games with the B’s, Kessel has nine goals
and six assists.

THIRD LINE

Left Wing – Andy Brickley (Melrose,
Mass.)

Now the renown color analyst for NESN, Brickley battled his fair
share of injuries as a pro. When healthy, he was a consistent
scoring threat for the Black and Gold. The former UNH standout
bounced between the AHL and NHL with the Flyers, Penguins and
Devils before nailing down a spot in Boston. In 1989-90 he had 40
points in 43 contests and again thrived in 1991-92 with 27 points
in 23 games. All in all, ‘Brick’ had 113 points in 177
games.

Center – Tom Fergus (Chicago, Ill.)

Most B’s fans likely forget just how potent Fergus was
during his time in the Hub of Hockey. After a rookie season that
saw him notch 39 points in 61 games, the Chicago native had
back-to-back seasons of 60-plus points. In 1984-85, he had the best
year of his career with 73 points in 79 contests. Just a few months
later, Boston dealt Fergus away for Bill Derlago, who played in
just 39 games for the team before being traded to Winnipeg.

Right Wing - Steve Heinze (Lawrence, Mass.)

Heinze was selected 60th overall by the Bruins in
1988 before shining at Boston College. A staple in the B’s
lineup for nearly a decade, Heinze played in 515 games for the
Black and Gold. During his nine seasons he scored 131 goals and
chipped in 108 assists, giving the team a solid, secondary-scoring
presence throughout the ‘90s.

FOURTH LINE

Left Wing – Steve Leach (Cambridge,
Mass.)

After being acquired from Washington in the summer of ’91
for Randy Burridge, Leach came home to the Bay State and had a
breakout year for the B’s. But after scoring 57 goals in his
first two seasons (to go along with 273 penalty minutes), the
5-foot-11 forward was beset by injuries and played in average of 42
games over the next three seasons.

Center – Bob Sweeney (Boxboro, Mass.)

Eternally known as ‘Swoop,’ Sweeney turned pro in
1986 after four years at BC and really carved out a spot in the
lineup a year later. During his five full years with the club, the
6-foot-3 forward topped the 20-goal mark twice. He was a key
contributor in Boston’s run to the finals in ’88,
notching 14 points in 23 playoff games.

Right Wing – Tom Williams (Duluth,
Minn.)

The eldest skater on this imaginary squad, Williams spent eight
seasons with Boston from 1961-1969. During that span, he played in
390 games, scoring 96 goals and chipped in 136 assists.
Unfortunately for Williams, the going got good after he left. The
Minnesota native made just one playoff appearance with the club
(1968) before being traded to his hometown North Stars. Boston went
on to win the Stanley Cup twice in the next three seasons.

While forever known for their shortcomings as general managers,
Milbury and O’Connell were dynamite d-men for the Black and
Gold. Milbury played in 754 games for the B’s (more than any
other American-born player) and trails only Terry O’Reilly
(2,095) for the club’s all-time lead in penalty minutes with
1,552. In addition to his toughness, Milbury also chipped in
offensively. He had a career-high 10 goals for the club in 1979-80.
During the 1978 and 1979 postseasons, he had 17 points in 26
games.

O’Connell, a Bruin from 1980-86, was known more for his
offensive exploits. He topped the 10-goal mark in four of his six
seasons and had a career-high 60 points in 1983-84. Up until 2009,
O’Connell held the NHL record for most consecutive games with
a goal for a defenseman, having tallied in seven-straight contests
for the B’s back in 1984.

Fans were overly critical of Gill during his tenure in Boston
(1997-04), but the towering defenseman was never nearly as inept as
anyone made him out to be – as was proven with his success
after leaving the Hub of Hockey. Gill had a negative plus-minus
rating in just one of his seven seasons with the team, which is
pretty remarkable given the B’s struggles during that
stretch. All in all, the 6-foot-7 blueliner had 97 points and a
plus-41 rating in 626 contests for the Black and Gold.

Larson couldn’t replicate the superb offensive numbers he
put up in Detroit, especially with a guy like Ray Bourque being the
go-to guy on the back-end, but he was a solid contributor during
his two-plus seasons with the Bruins. Acquired from Detroit for
O’Connell in March of 1986, Larson went on to register 77
points in 141 contests for the B’s.

Stuart had “future captain” written all over him
during his first few years in Boston, and with good reason. The
tough-as-nails rearguard’s selfless approach and hard-nosed
style made it seem as though he was born to be a Bruin.
Unfortunately injuries derailed his Iron Man streak and eventually
diminished his importance to the club, leading to his trade to
Atlanta. Stuart had 40 points and was plus-37 in 283 games over six
seasons with Boston.

The 6-foot-3 Blum complements Stuart perfectly, as he was renown
for his toughness and pugilistic ways throughout his pro career.
Blum spent parts of three seasons with the B’s from 1983-86.
His best year came in 1984-85, when the Detroit native had 16
points and 263 penalty minutes in 75 contests.

Thomas’ legacy may wind up being like that of
Kessel’s, only considerably wackier, but the quirky
netminder’s accomplishments will never be forgotten. A
two-time Vezina Trophy winner, none of you need a lengthy
recounting of Thomas’ tale. His fight to establish himself as
an NHL goalie was inspirational, and his 2010-11 season and
subsequent playoff run which brought the Cup back to Boston for the
first time since 1972 was simply legendary.

Backup - Frank Brimsek (Eveleth, Minn.)

Brimsek takes the cake for the oldest player on this team, as
he’d be 97-years-old this fall. But way back when, though few
of us were alive to see it, he was among the best netminders in the
game. Brimsek was a Bruin from 1938-49 – with part of his
tenure interrupted by World War II – and played in 514 games
for the Black and Gold. During his nine seasons with the club, he
led the league in wins twice and finished with the most starts on
five occasions. He backstopped the B’s to four Stanley Cup
finals, winning it all in both 1939 and 1941. Brimsek also won the
Vezina Trophy twice, doing so in 1939 and 1942. Brimsek was elected
to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1966. The only reason he ranks behind
Thomas is the fact that Brimsek’s accomplishments must be
viewed in a slightly different light, as the league now has 24 more
teams than it did back then.

Third String – Jon Casey (Grand Rapids,
Minn.)

After a strong run with the hometown North Stars – which
included a trip to the finals in 1991 against a stacked
Penguins’ squad – Casey was traded from Dallas (where
he never played) to Boston for beloved netminder Andy Moog. During
his lone season with the club, the 5-foot-10 netminder was solid.
He wen 30-15-9 in 57 contests and had a career-best 2.88
goals-against average. In the playoffs, he helped Boston defeat the
hated Habs in a seven-game series, but Boston fell to Martin
Brodeur and the Devils in the next round.